Test of Carolina Alert Emergency Notification System Sept. 13

The University Emergency Management Team will conduct its fall test of the Carolina Alert Emergency Notification System this Thursday, Sept. 13, at 12:20 p.m.

The communication media that will be used in this test include: Carolina Alert website, Facebook, Twitter, RSS Feed, text message, email, outdoor warning sirens, television message crawler, AlertFM, and for the first time indoor warning sirens.

Over the summer, the university installed equipment that will re-broadcast the message heard over the outdoor warning sirens, inside via the voice over fire alarm system. This equipment has been installed in Harper/ Elliot, DeSaussure, Woodrow, and Patterson. Additional buildings are scheduled to receive this upgrade later this year.

Even though the university will test 10 different communication devices during this exercise, text messages along with sirens and other disruptive media, will only be used if a situation exists that poses an immediate risk to life safety and requires persons to change their behavior (i.e. seek shelter, evacuate, etc.).

If a situation exists where persons should be notified about an incident that is not immediately life threatening (i.e. crime alerts, situations that have already been contained, weather events, school closings, etc.), media such as the Carolina Alert website, Facebook, Twitter, or select others may be used to communicate the information. These non-life threatening notifications can be sent directly to your mobile phone by following Carolina Alert on Twitter and adjusting your settings within Twitter to have tweets sent to your mobile device.

Students and staff are encouraged to log into VIP before the test to update their contact information, as well as join the Carolina Alert Facebook and Twitter groups.